- Overview
- Advanced settings (optional)
- Setting an assessment passcode (optional)
- What students experience
- Communicating LockDown Browser requirements to students
- Frequently Asked Questions
Overview
Requiring LockDown Browser for a zyBooks Assessment
Respondus LockDown Browser is a widely-used secure browser that restricts access to other applications and websites during an exam to maintain academic integrity. Use of zyBooks' integrated LockDown Browser for assessments is optional and available to any instructor who wants to add a layer of security to their in-book assessments.
When enabled, students must download and use LockDown Browser to access the assessment. They cannot use a standard web browser. LockDown Browser is only available for assessment sections in zyBooks. Other content types, such as labs and test bank questions, must be added to an assessment to utilize the integrated LockDown Browser.
This article explains how to configure zyBooks' custom LockDown Browser implementation within assessments and the resulting student experience.
Why use LockDown Browser through zyBooks?
zyBooks offers a built-in integration with Respondus LockDown Browser included with a zyBooks subscription at no additional charge; no separate Respondus license required. Configuring LockDown Browser directly in zyBooks rather than through an LMS (Canvas, Blackboard, or D2L) only requires a few steps and supports grade passback to the LMS for LTI 1.3 users.
Enabling LockDown Browser for an assessment
LockDown Browser is configured from the Edit Section view of your assessment.
Once enabled, students will see a notice on the assessment page with links to download and test the LockDown Browser version compatible with zyBooks. Students will only be able to begin the assessment once it is launched through zyBooks' official version of Respondus LockDown Browser.
zyBooks integrated LockDown Browser Download Requirements
The LockDown Browser used for zyBooks is a custom OEM version. Students should download LockDown Browser using the link on the assessment page, not from the general Respondus website or your institution's LMS.
zyBooks LockDown Browser integration currently requires a Windows or Mac computer. We do not currently support a download for Chromebooks, but this will be available in the coming months. We don't recommend using iPads for zyBooks assessments, so zyBooks LBD support for iPads is not on our current roadmap. If you have students without compatible devices, contact your institution's IT support.
A computer lab version of the zyBooks LockDown Browser is available for institutions that administer exams on institution-managed computers. To obtain the lab installer, contact zyBooks support.
Advanced settings (optional)
After enabling LockDown Browser, use Advanced settings to configure additional options.
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Lock students into the assessment until it is completed When checked, students cannot exit LockDown Browser before submitting the assessment attempt.
Proctor password (optional): Set a browser exit password that allows the student to close LockDown Browser early if they run into a technical issue or emergency. Keep this password available during the exam session to provide to individual students only if needed. Do not share the proctor password with students in advance.
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Allow access to specific external web domains When checked, students will be able to browse specific external websites from within LockDown Browser during the assessment if you include a link to the website within the assessment content. All other websites will be blocked by default.
Students will be able to browse freely within any domain you add at this step, including navigating to pages beyond the specific URL you enter.
- Only add domains to this field that you intend students to have full access to during the assessment.
Enter domains as a comma separated list (e.g., www.wikipedia.org, www.npr.org).
Alternatively, If you wish to restrict access to a specific webpage only, you can leave the 'Allow access to specific external web domains' box unchecked and and simply include a link to the webpage (e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodic_table) within the assessment content. Web links embedded directly in the assessment content do not support navigating away from that specific page.
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Enable calculator on the toolbar When checked, a calculator will be available to students within LockDown Browser during the assessment. Choose between:
- Basic calculator: standard arithmetic functions
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Scientific calculator: includes trigonometric, logarithmic, and other advanced functions
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Enable printing from the toolbar When checked, students can access print functionality from within LockDown Browser which will print their current screen.
Setting an assessment passcode (optional)
A separate access passcode can be set for your assessment under the Access controls section. When a passcode is set and Respondus LockDown Browser is enabled, students will be prompted to enter this password after LockDown Browser launches, but before the exam attempt starts. This is useful for in-person, proctored sessions where you want to control when students start.
If you set a passcode, please communicate it to students ahead of or at the time of the exam. zyBooks does not distribute passcodes to students.
What students experience
- See below for an outline of the steps students will follow before the exam and during the exam. You may also refer to the Student Help article that includes detailed steps with screenshots or launch a test of the process by following the download instructions and selecting 'Begin Assessment' on an assessment section in your book with LockDown Browser enabled.
- Before the assessment
- Student navigates to the assessment in the zyBook and sees the LockDown Browser requirement notice.
- Student clicks "Download LockDown Browser" and installs the application or clicks "Test LockDown Browser" to verify their existing installation.
- No need to select the operating system. When selecting “Download” the Respondus installer detects the operating system and provides the appropriate download file.
- At exam time
- Student clicks "Begin assessment", which prompts them to open LockDown Browser.
- LockDown Browser launches and alerts the student if any restricted applications are detected. If detected, student has the option to:
- Allow LBD to close the applications.
- Exit the LBD launch and close the applications themselves.
- LockDownBrowser verifies installed version compatibility before loading the assessment.
- (Optional) If an assessment passcode is required, the student is prompted to enter it. The student must enter the correct passcode to proceed to the next step. If assessment entry passcode is not required, this step is skipped.
- Assessment system launches the assessment attempt and the assessment timer starts.
- Student works through the assessment and provides answers to each question.
- (Optional) If the Advanced Setting Lock students into the assessment until it is completed is enabled, students will not be allowed to exit the browser/ assessment before submitting their attempt unless the instructor has set an optional Proctor Password and has provided the exit password to the student.
- (Default) If the Advanced Setting Lock students into the assessment until it is completed is not enabled, students may exit the browser/assessment at any time during the assessment attempt.
- If time remains on the assessment attempt, students who have exited the browser/assessment may repeat the steps to launch the LockDown Browser and the assessment attempt to resume their attempt.
- Student clicks "Submit assessment for grading" and receives the "Assessment complete" confirmation.
- If the student doesn't manually submit their assessment attempt before the duration ends, the assessment system will auto-submit on their behalf.
- Student clicks "Exit LockDown Browser" to close the browser. The student's assessment attempt is complete and they can return to their zyBook to view their assessment attempt scores if the score visibility Access Control has been enabled by the instructor.
Communicating LockDown Browser requirements to students
If you are using the zyBooks Respondus integration option on your assessments, we recommend notifying students about the LockDown Browser requirement before the day of the exam. Consider including the following in your syllabus or LMS announcement:
"This course uses Respondus LockDown Browser for assessments in zyBooks. You will need to download and install it on a Windows or Mac computer before your first exam. The download link and a version test tool are available directly on the assessment section in your zyBook. Note that Chromebooks and tablets are not supported for these assessments."
Students will have access to the Lockdown Browser download and testing functions once the instructor publishes the assessment with LockDown Browser enabled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Troubleshooting FAQ's
A student says they can't open the assessment, what should I check? Ask the student to confirm they downloaded LockDown Browser using the Download LockDown Browser link on the assessment page (not from the general Respondus website) and that they're on a supported Windows or Mac device. If the student is using an institution-own computer, ensure they are using the lab installed version of zyBooks OEM LBD. If the issue persists, have them use the Test LockDown Browser link to check their installation.
A student accidentally closed LockDown Browser mid-exam. What do I do? If time remains on the assessment, instruct the student to navigate back to the assessment section in their zyBook and click "Resume assessment" to relaunch LockDown Browser and resume where they left off. If the assessment duration or availability window has passed, the assessment will have been auto-submitted with answers completed up to that point. If you have limited the number of allowed assessment attempts, you may need to navigate to the assessment's Access Controls section to grant the student another attempt.
I've launched my assessment with LockDown Browser, but now I can't edit the LDB settings? Some assessment settings will be restricted once the assessment is in progress to ensure consistent scoring. The editor will notify you if students have already started the assessment. If keeping the original settings that are no longer editable isn't an option, consider unpublishing the current assessment and recreating it in a new assessment section. With a new assessment, you can easily import content from your original assessment and set desired settings to get back on track, but note that students with attempts against the original assessment will be affected.
Respondus Integration FAQ's
Is there a way to use the LockDown Browser feature to restrict access to other websites, browser tabs, or applications during an assessment without requiring students to download and install additional software?
No. By nature of the technology, a website like zyBooks has no mechanism to control browser level (tabs, other websites) or operating system level (other applications) responsibilities. We need application-level control to actually ensure that the commonly desired functionality of restricting access to other websites, browser tabs, or applications during an assessment is possible. To accomplish this, zyBooks has integrated with Respondus LockDown browser, which is the gold standard browser for our industry. Over 2,000 institutions use the browser, 200 million exams secured per year, and 18 years in the industry.
How does zyBooks-integrated Respondus LockDown Browser differ from an LMS-integrated Respondus option? Many institutions have access to Respondus LockDown Browser via their LMS integration. While you may choose to use the LMS-integrated Respondus option, zyBooks assessments must be set up as a 3rd party quiz within the LMS's quizzing tool and you must configure Respondus settings within your LMS. Note that grade passback for linked zyBooks assessments may not be supported when using your LMS-integrated LockDown Browser.
Does the zyBooks-integrated Respondus LockDown Browser include Respondus Monitor proctoring features? No. To utilize your institution's Respondus Monitor license with proctoring features (e.g. webcam recording and environment checks) you would need to set up zyBooks as a 3rd party quiz within the LMS's quizzing tool and configure the Respondus Monitor settings within your LMS.
Still need help? Use the link below to submit a request to zyBooks Support or visit the Respondus Help Center.